Jim Dupuis was more than just a delivery man. Described by students and his former employer as a staple of the Dartmouth community, the news of his death in Montreal last Saturday elicited dozens of shocked and saddened messages on his Facebook wall and the sense that Hanover had lost a pillar of the community.
Known to many students as "Jim Gusanoz," Dupuis spent four years at the restaurant with whose name he would become synonymous. He worked at the Hanover location of Gusanoz Mexican Restaurant from December 2008 until it closed in August 2011, according to Nicholas Yager, who co-owns Gusanoz with his wife, Maria Yager.
Gusanoz opened its Hanover location in October 2008, and Dupuis approached the Yagers one month later about working for them as a delivery man. At the time, the Yagers were unsure if Gusanoz would be offering delivery services at all, Nicholas Yager said. Ultimately, Dupuis' persistence convinced the couple to hire him and develop a delivery branch of the business.
"We had a Christmas party in Lebanon, and Jim showed up at the party and said, Hey, remember me?'" Yager said. "He said, I just want to tell you that if you give me the go-ahead, I will build your delivery business in Hanover.' Maria and I said all right, and Jim stayed for the party."
Dupuis was born on June 23, 1955 in Newport, R.I., according to his sister, Cathy Dupuis-Cario. His father served in the Navy, and as a result, Dupuis moved frequently as a youth, living in Key West, Fla., Charleston, S.C., Paulsboro, N.J., San Diego and Indian Head, Md.
At the age of 10, Dupuis worked his first job delivering newspapers. His childhood hobbies evolved from comic book collection to compiling LPs and CDs as he "developed an appreciation of music," Dupuis-Cario said in an email to The Dartmouth.
Dupuis attended St. Mary Star of the Sea in Indian Head for elementary school and later Archbishop Neale High School in La Plata, Md. After high school, Dupuis became a manager at a Hardees franchise in Baltimore, where he also adopted his first dog, igniting Dupuis' passion for animals, especially dogs. He went on to adopt many pets throughout his life.
Dupuis' move to Hanover was entirely accidental, Dupuis-Cario said. The Dupuis family originally hailed from New Hampshire, and when Dupuis moved back, Hanover "is where he landed," she said.
Following Gusanoz's closure, Dupuis worked for Ramunto's Pizzeria in Hanover, but he eventually decided to move to San Francisco.
"Jim's decision to move was partly due to the economy and the effect it had on the delivery business in Hanover," Dupuis-Cario said. "He was quite the adventurer and probably considered the move another adventure and challenge in life."
Students interviewed by The Dartmouth universally described Dupuis as an outgoing and personable man who truly enjoyed working in Hanover and developing relationships with Dartmouth students.
"My friends and I were regular Gusanoz customers, but Jim was really a campus icon," Ian Rorick '10 said in an email to The Dartmouth.
Rorick was the former president of Chi Gamma Epsilon fraternity, and he and his friends developed a rapport with Dupuis, who would often spend time chatting with them after delivering their food.
"I don't have one specific anecdote beyond the times Jim hung out at Chi Gam, but that kind of speaks to Jim in that he really fit into our Dartmouth College lives seamlessly," Rorick said. "My memories of Jim consist of many simple but delightful interactions rather than one specific occasion."
Dupuis was able to bridge any distance between Dartmouth students and Hanover residents unaffiliated with the College, students said.
"He always took time to check up on you, and not many delivery guys even look you in the eye," Will Sampson '11 said. "He met students when they were oftentimes drunk and always hungry most Dartmouth students don't really want to give the time of day to people who aren't directly affecting them, but rare was the time you wouldn't see Jim talking to someone."
McKenzie Bennett '13 said she met Dupuis through his work at Gusanoz but did not become friendly with him until he started selling Gusanoz burritos out of his car.
"At Dartmouth, there's this belief that there's this disconnect between Dartmouth and the actual surrounding community, but that wasn't the case with Jim," she said. "Everyone knew him. Everyone was friends with him on Facebook."
Dupuis often went out of his way to help people, even when it was not required of him or caused him personal inconvenience, according to Nicholas Yager. One of Dupuis' co-workers, Brandon Kenison, recently had a son, and despite the fact that Dupuis was not "doing very well financially," he would save any $2 bills he received as tips and give them to Kenison, telling him that the money was for his newborn son's college fund.
"Jim literally would give you the shirt off his back, even if he was going to freeze," Yager said.
During Green Key weekend last spring, Nina Montgomery '14 and Charlotte Hendren '14 were at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center because Montgomery was sick with viral meningitis, she said. Montgomery said she had become well acquainted with Dupuis because she and her freshman year roommate often ordered from Gusanoz.
"We saw him in the hospital delivering to nurses around 7 [p.m.], and after we saw the doctors, we called Gusanoz, but we called from Charlotte's phone, so he didn't know I was there, too," Montgomery said. "When we ordered, he said it was after hours for delivery outside the Hanover area, but when he found out it was me, he came and delivered us burritos right away."
Dupuis was well-known on campus, even to new students, according to Alex Engler '12. Engler, a member of the Dartmouth Brovertones, performed in an Orientation show for the Class of 2014 with the improvisational comedy group the Dog Day Players. During the show, the Brovertones interspersed their songs with skits introducing various Hanover establishments.
"We ended the skit by having Jim come on stage after we announced Gusanoz, had him shout the catchphrase, So much better than Boloco,' and throw free burritos into the audience," Engler said. "The crowd went crazy. Many of the freshmen very obviously knew who Jim was. It's a tribute to Jim and his intense popularity, his incredible way of being in tune with the students and his willingness to be such an integral part of this school."
Dupuis also made sure that his customers received the best quality food he could produce. Yager recalled that when Dupuis felt that cooks at Gusanoz were not preparing food quickly enough, he would often join them in the kitchen and prepare orders himself.
Although Dupuis worked for Gusanoz, a business inherently concerned with profits, his primary focus was always the students he served, according to Taylor Sipple '13. Sipple said he met Dupuis through frequent ordering from Gusanoz and through his roommate, with whom Dupuis was friendly.
"Gusanoz did deliveries until 2 a.m. for a long time, and Jim loved it because he got to see all the students he became friends with," Sipple said. "Gusanoz decided to shut down this delivery because it wasn't cost effective, and Jim felt really terrible about it. He said, I'm going to see if [Gusanoz] will let me do it on my own because I know the kids want it.'"
Sampson described Dupuis as a generous person who was truly invested in his customers' experience.
"One time I had just ordered Gusanoz and was eating it on a Sunday afternoon, and one of my best friends came to my room and ordered food, too," Sampson said. "Jim came right back to my door 45 minutes later. He knew I was in the building and who I was hanging out with because we all knew each other, and he brought me an extra burrito."
When Dupuis found out that Sampson's friend's order had been delivered incorrectly, he immediately went back to Gusanoz and made a new burrito, allowing the friends to keep the original order, Sampson said.
"We knew when he brought back my friend's burrito that he had made it, because Jim made them bigger and he made them right," Sampson said.
Dupuis became such an integral part of the Dartmouth community through his appreciation of the College, Ben Ludlow '12 said.
"Here's a guy who isn't officially part of the College but realizes how special our community is and the kids in it are," Ludlow said. "He knows we're something special. He's just such a staple I'll always remember the times he came to meetings or hung out on frat row."
A memorial service open to the public will be held on the Green on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Dupuis family asks that attendees bring non-perishable items to be donated to a local animal shelter. Dogs are welcome if they are on leashes.
Dupuis is survived by his parents Ray and Jeanne, his older sister Debbie, younger sister Cathy and younger brothers Ray and Joe, as well as a niece, nephew and two grandnephews, according to Dupuis-Cario.
